Machine for washing mica pieces and the like



Feb. 17, 1953 M. D. HEYMAN 2,628,461

MACHINE FOR WASHING MICA PIECES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 10, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET l v I" INVENTOR.

\ Mas-Es 0. HE YMA/V Q BY ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1953 M. D. HEYMAN 2,628,451

MACHINE FOR WASHING MICA PIECES AND THE LIKE 7 Filed Jan. 10. 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 ing to the present invention.

Patented Feb. 17, 1953 MACHINE FOR WASHING MICA PI ECE AND THE LIKE v Moses D fleyman, Woodmere, N. Y. Application January 10, 1952, Serial No. 265,890"

1 This invention relates to a machine for washing pieces of mica to rid the same of dirt, stones, and other extraneous matter to ready said mica pieces for splitting into flake form as in splitting or disintegrating devices disclosed in my Patents Nos. 2,405,576 and 2,490,129,.and in my pending application Ser. No. 164,333, filed May 26, 1950.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mica piece washing machinethat is wholly automatic in its cycle of operation and where- .in the wash water is automatically replaced at predetermined intervals to insure a clean product at the output of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mica piece washing machine that moves the pieces through an aligned series of baths in a manner that minimizes flaking of the pieces or otherwise subjecting them to abrasion that may tend to break them up. Such breaking or flaking would entail losses of material which the present invention seeks to obviate.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a machine as indicated, novel means for raising the mica pieces out of the baths and gently dropping them back into the baths edge first, repeating such raising and dropping many times, and simultaneously moving the pieces from the inlet to the outlet of the machine. In this manner, the wash water in the successive baths wash among the edges of the lamina of said pieces with greater efliciency than if the pieces were dropped on one of their 'faces'.

Another object of the invention is to' provide i riov'el means to transport 'the mica pieces successively from one'bath to "'tl'ie'ne'xt adjacent bath, and successively raising and dropping the pieces, as mentioned, while keeping the water in the several baths separate. In this manner, the mica pieces move through successively cleaner baths until they are ultimately washed in relatively clean water.

trated embodiment and, while now preferred, is intended as by way of example. a

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in longitudinal section, of a washing machine accord- Fig. 2 is a top-plan view of the left handportion of Fig. 1.

' 9 Claims. (c1-.51 16'4) be deposited thereinto.

hopper is alsoopen and wall 23, onthe side totoward tank l3. v a

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on line 3-3 of Fi 1.

Fig, 4 is a vertical sectional view as taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical means of the machine.

The machine that is illustrated comprises generally, a frame ID, a mica-piece receiving hopper II located in an elevated position in said frame, means I2 for feeding mica pieces from said hopper in a substantially continuous stream, a compartmented tank 13 provided with a water inlet l4 supported by the frame and extendingto one side of the hopper II and the feed means l2, a seriesvof open-sidedperforated drums l5 in sloping aligned arrangement and' disposed within said tank, a drive l6 for slowly revolving said drums to wash and forwardly feed the pieces of mica fed thereinto by feed means 12, a set of dump valves IT for emptying the compartments of tank I3, timer-controlled means [9 for operating the feed means l2, drive means l6 and as independently supported although provision in the frame'may be made to support thesame;

Hopper I1 is shown with an open top so that,

from time to time, batches of mica pieces-may The bottom-'22 of'the ward tank 13, has a bottom notch or opening A 24. Said notch is controlled as by a sliding gate 25 which is adapted to adjust the effective or feed size of said notch. The open bottom 22 of the hopper is arranged on a downward slop Feed means l2 comprises a sloping pan or tray 26 disposed immediately below but spaced from the hopper bottom 22, an electrical vibrator 21 connected at 28 to tray 26, and suspension cords or wires 29 connected, at the top, to brackets-30 extending from frame extension 2|], and, at the bottom, to a point 3| on the vibrator. The suspension is such that the weight of the vibrator substantially balances the weight of the tray and the contents 32 of the hopper. In this manner,

of said tray toward the lowermost end from which they drop oil into the first of the series of drums l5.

Tank 13, as mentioned, is arranged to slope downwardly toward the end of the machine away from the hopper. Said tank is provided with a cover 33, with a sloping bottom 34, with end walls 35, and with a set of uniformly spaced partitions 36 which divide the tank into a plurality of simi lar and aligned compartments 3?. End walls 35 and partitions 36 do not extend to the cover 33 but only to the approximate middle of the tank, the upper edges of said walls and partitions being indicated at 38 in Fig. 3. The upper portionof the tank is, therefore, continuous and servesto enclose the upper portions of drums I5. The present machine is shown with six compartments 31 with a drum in each compartment, although the number of compartments may vary. Water: inlet [4 comprises a longitudinally. disposed pipe 39 in the upper part of tank It along ,one side thereof. Saidpipe-is provided with perforations 49 through which clean water, or any other a suitable cleaning liquid, .is admitted into the compartments 3'1. Any suitable water source or liquid supply may be connected toisa'id 'pipe atnipple 4l. In the operation of the machine, the flow from pipe .39v is continuous. It :isdesiredtolimitfthe height of water in compartments 3'1 to-a level below the tops of partitions and walls. '35. T'To this end, over- I fiOW-pipes-QZ are provided for each compartment at a-suitable height above the bottom'of tank l3 and-below partitionedges 38, as bestseen in Fig. B and a' trough 43 is-positioned beneath said overflow pipes to receive their discharge. Trough 43:-ls disposed on-a-slope and a drain pipe 44, at the: lower end thereof, empties into receptacle 19a. -Thus, althoughwater is being continu- :ously "admitted into compartments 31,. the level 45 in each compartment is maintained.

Each drum 1 comprises a perforated cylindrifica'l wall IE-that may advantageously be. made of a;-screenmesh of suitable. gauge to retain the micapieces and-pass foreign particles dislodged therefrom during the washing process. Each drum is provided with one or moreradial arms 41 to connect wall 45-toa shaft 48 extending longitudinally through bothends of tank i3 and supported, at said ends, in bearings 49 affixed to y frame). Each drum wall is stiffened by a circular angle member 59 at the inner edges of said-walls. vIn-this.manner allof the drumsare carried by a-commonshaft, adjacent drums'are separated ;by--partitions 36,..and the open ends'of ,..saiddrums are in communication above the up- ;menedges 38 of said partitions.

-. Each drum 'carried by the inner face of "cylindrical wall Gi aud by angle members 50,.is provided with a plurality of vanes or fins 5! that extend across-the interior and are disposed at an angle that is tangential to a circle. generated around the center of shaft 48.. Said vanes may be .radial, if -desi-red-,-.the-angle that is formed by each-vane and the drum wall providing a pocket from which the vanes had lifted them. The tangential disposition of the vanes is preferred because,-=-as-seen in Fig. 3-, the mica pieces are retained on-the vanesuntil they have reached a high point abovethe water level 4 5. The drop efthe mica pieces there'fore, is 'quite great and a good washing action results from the "momem' tum of the pieces moving down through the water edge first. The different positions of the mica pieces as a vane raises them, as they fall from said vane, and as they cut edge first through the water, is illustrated in Fig. 3.

It will be recalled that the line of drums is on a downward slope. Therefore, it will be evident that-each time a piece of mica is raised and then dropped, it will progress in a direction toward the low end of the drum. The mica piece is raised and dropped many times during its progress toward the low end of the drum and, therefore, said piece will be subjected to many washing' immersions.

At the outlet end of each drum there is provided a cone 52 which, in this case is shown as of square configuration, although its cross-sectionalshape may be of diiferent polygonal form. Said cone tapers toward the outlet end of the drum atwhich point it is aiiixed to shaft 48. As pieces 'ofmicaprogress toward the 'cone while they .are alternately raised and dropped, said pieces will eventually fall upon the surface of said cone. When a mica piece falls on the high or large part of the cone, it will slide downward on its sloping face. However, since the cone is slowly rotating with the drum, said piece, most likely, will be dropped back into the bath before it has an opportunity to slide the entire-length of the cone. Said piece will again be raised by one of the vanes 51 and, since it has progressed forward, said vane'will now drop it on an intermediate part of the cone. Now, the piece may slide down on the small end of the cone and over thepartitiontt into the next adjacent drum. Fig. 4 shows such transfer of the pieces from one drum to another.

In practice; it has been found that, at the slope of .the'drums shown, a piece of mica averages twenty edge first irnmersions in each bath ofthe compartments 3? and, with the six drums shown, is washed some one hundred twenty times in successively cleaner baths; Since the'drums are rotated quite slowlyfour or less revolutions per minute-the time of travel of a piece of mica dropping from tray 26 and ultimately being discharged from exit chute 53 is approximately onehalf hour. Thus, although the mica pieces are continually travelling toward exit chute 53 and being imultaneously thoroughly washed, there is no turbulence nor agitation that may tend to break'or flake the pieces.

7 It will be realized that the water in the first or left hand compartment 3'! receives and collects most of the foreign matter in the mica pieces, that in the successive compartments the'water becomes less dirtied, and that'in the last'or'right hand compartment the'water i quite clean since little or no foreign matter remains in or on the pieces of mica. Consequently, the mica pieces are being washed in successively cleaner baths as they move through the machine.

Rubber or like gaskets 54 are provided between the ends of the drums l5 and the walls 35 and partitions 36, and water from said drums and mica pieces cannot pass from the drums into the compartments 3! past said gaskets. Foreign matter washed out of the mica can pass through the drum perforations into the bottom of the compartments but said sealing gaskets prevent the mica pieces from passing between the drum ends and said walls and partitions.

The drive I6 is applied toshaft 48 and, in this case, is Sh'OWD'ELS"an e1eCtIlC mOtO! 55 that, through the medium of a speed reducer 56'- and acoupling 51, on the output shaft of said reducer, rotates shaft 48 and the drums carried thereby at a low rate of speed, as above indicated.

The dump valves 11 are connected to the lowermost portion of tank I3, one for each compartment 31, said valves being disposed above sump receptacle l9a so as to discharge thereinto. Each valve I! is provided with an operating handle or lever 58.

The means l8 comprises a longitudinally disposed member 59 that constitutes a common connection for valve levers 58, an air cylinder 60 having its piston rod 6| connected to an end of member 59, a pressure air inlet connection 62, a valve 63 for controlling flow of air from said connection to the opposite ends of air cylinder 60, and a solenoid 64 for operating said valve. During the normal closed position of valves H, the solenoid is not energized and valve 63 is positioned to admit pressure air to the right end-of cylinder 60, thus retracting member 59. Energization of the solenoid moves valve 63 to admit air to the left end of said cylinder to project member 59 and open said valves simultaneously. The valves ll are quite large and the action of cylinder 60 quite sudden, thereby causing a quick dumping of the contents of compartments 3'! with a resultant scavenging of the walls of said compartments.

The timer means 19 is shown in Fig. 5. The same comprises a continuously-operating synchronous motor 65 that drives a circular cam 66 provided with a peripheral notch 61, and a pair of switches 68 and 69 controlled by aid cam by means of an actuator I0. One side of switch 68 is provided with a contact H and the opposite side with contacts 12 and 13. The peripheral face of cam 66, by means of actuator iii, normally holds contacts TI and 13 engaged and, when said actuator enters notch 51, contact H moves from contact 13 to engage contact 12. Switch 69 is provided with contacts 14 and 15 that are engaged when actuator 10 rides the circular periphery of said cam and are separated when the actuator enters notch 61.

A master switch 16 controls electric current from two phases of a three-phase power line TI to vibrator 21, motor 55 and solenoid 64 under control of timer means 19. Lines [8 connect timer motor 65 to line 11. Lines 19,80,81, 82 and 83 connect vibrator 21 with two phases of said line through switch contacts H and 13; motor 55 is provided with three-phases current through lines 84, 85, 18, 82 and 83 and engaged contacts H and 13, and M and I; and solenoid 84 is provided with current through lines 84, 88, 89, 82 and 83 only when contacts H and 12 are engaged which is when actuator enters cam notch 61'.

In practice, timer cam is driven at one revolution in ten minutes and the notch 6'! is proportioned to comprise some fifteen seconds of this time. It will be clear that vibrator 21 and motor 55 are operated to carry out the initial feed and the washing operations of the machine during the time that the actuator 10 rides the periphery of cam 56 and, that when said actuator enters notch 61, the vibrator and motor circuits are opened while the circuit to the solenoid is closed. Thus, for about fifteen seconds, the feed of mica pieces from the hopper and rotation of drums l5 stop as the means 18 opens dump valves I1 to discharge the dirtied water from tank compartments 31. During this period, incoming water from pipe 39 continues to flow to flush out the compartments with clean water while, at the same time, washing a, portion of the drum wall 46. Since the drums stop rotating every ten minutes, said drum wall will be washed quite well because the drums stop with difierent portions of said walls in the path of the incoming water. When the cam face again moves actuator 10. normal operation of the machine is restored, and tank compartments 3! fill with water to levels 45, excess continuing to overfiow into sump receptacle l9a. When said receptacle is to .be'emptied, a valve is opened.

It will be realized that the timing cycle of means l9 may be varied, as desired.

While I have described what I now regard as the preferred form of my invention, the same, of course, may be modified within the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore, I desire to reserve to myself such variations and modifications of my invention that may fall within the scope of the appended claims. a p I Having thus described my. invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is: 1. In a washing machine for mica pieces and like materials, a liquid-containing tank compartment having end walls, a rotating open-sidedperforated drum positioned in said compartment with the open ends thereof adjacent saidend walls, the axis of said drum being disposed at an angle to the horizontal, a sealing gasket between said walls and the respective ends of the drum, blade means within the drum to raise pieces of material, during rotation of the drum, out ofthe vliquid in said compartment and arranged to drop said raised pieces edge first back into said liquid and, during each such raising and dropping, moving said pieces from the higher end of the drum in a direction toward the lower end thereof, and tapered means connected to rotate with the drum to receive the pieces and slidingly transport them out of the lower end of the drum.

2. In a washing machine according to claim 1: said blade means comprising plural uniformly spaced and inwardly diected blades extending in a direction tangent to a circle generated around the axis of rotation of the drum.

3. In a washing machine according to claim 1: said tapered means comprising a cone of polygonal cross-section with the apex end substantially at the lower end of the drum and the opposite larger end in an intermediate part of the interior of the drum, and a drive shaft mounting both the drum and said cone.

4. In a washing machine according to claim 1: overflow means for said liquid in a wall of said compartment and disposed at a level below the axial center of the drum, and said end walls of the compartment extending above said level and terminating substantially below the top of the drum.

5. In a washing machine for pieces of mica and like material and having a wash tank divided into compartments, there being a rotating openended drum in each compartment, and each drum being provided with means for raising and then dropping pieces of material in the drum, said drums being in end to end alignment, the improvement that comprises a polygonal conical member mounted to rotate with the drum and disposed to present surfaces sloping downward toward one end of the drum for receiving dropping pieces and slidingly guide them beyond the said end of the drum into the drum next adjacent.

6. A machine for washing mica pieces and like material comprising a tank having partitions diiiidingithe samexintoa series of-aligned liquidcontainingmcompartments, an open-sided ,per-

forated drum in each compartment, a; sealing gasket between each partition and the adjacent open ends of each respective drum, a drive to r0- tate said drums; said. drums being on a common axis and said axis being disposed at an angle to the horizontal, means to feed mica pieces into the most elevated of said drums, a chute to discharge pieces of material falling thereon from the lowermost of said drum-s, blade means within each drum to raise pieces of material out of the liquid in each respective drum and compartment and arranged to drop said raised pieces edge first back into said liquid and, during each such raising and dropping, moving said pieces nearer the lower ends of the respective drums,

and tapered means at the center of and at the lower endofeach drum to transfer said pieces from one drum to the next adjacent lower drum above the partitions between the drums and from the lowermost drum to the discharge chute.

'7. A washing machine for pieces of mica and like materials comprising, in combination, a

hopper for said pieces, means to feed a con-' -tinuous stream of pieces from said hopper, an

aligned series of open-ended perforated drums disposed on an axis sloping downward from said feeding means and receptive of the pieces fed from the hopper, a drive to slowly rotate said drums on said axis, a compartmented tank in each compartment of which is disposed one of said series of drums, means providing a constant supply of liquid to said compartments and, through the drum perforations, to the interiors 8. of the drums, means in each drum to alternately raise pieces of material therein and drop them back edge first into the liquid while. simultaneously moving said pieces along the drum in the direction of its slope, means within each drum to transfer said pieces from one drum into the next adjacent lower drum of the series, a chute to receive and discharge the pieces transferred from the lowermost drum of the series, a dump .valve connected to empty each compartment of the tank, and means to open all of said dump valves and simultaneously stop the piece-feeding means and the drum-driving means.

,8. A combination according to claim '7: the last-mention-means comprising electrical timer means including a synchronous motor and switch means controlled ,by. said: synchronous motor.

9. A combination according to claim. 8: the electrical timer means further including a cam driven by the synchronous motor and operatively engaged with the switch means to time the operation thereof.

MOSES D. HEYMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 847,781 Judge et al Mar. 19, 1907 1,251,567 Potterhoff Jan. 1, 1918 1,355,341 Kammermann Oct. 12, 1920 

